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0800 What's Up

0800 What’s Up is a counselling helpline for children and young people. Our counsellors are available 365 days a year, and it’s free to call, including from a mobile phone. Children and young people can also get tips on dealing with the most commonly called about issues through the 'most talked about' sections of the kids and teens sections of this website.

Mon-Fri 1-10pm

Sat-Sun 3-10pm

What happens when a child calls 0800 What's Up?

Our counsellors build a rapport with the children who call and don’t judge the ‘importance’ of an issue. If it’s important to the child, it’s important to us. The counsellors help young callers to find their own solutions to the challenges and issues they face, equipping them with strategies to deal with issues now and in the future. A child can ask to speak to either a male or female counsellor, and they
can have ongoing counselling with the same counsellor. Our counsellors encourage our callers to talk with the trusted adults in their lives about what's going on for them.

Our counsellors

Our counsellors are carefully selected and trained, and are paid professionals rather than volunteers. They’re monitored on each shift and have ongoing professional development.

Confidentiality

Calls to 0800 What’s Up are confidential unless the caller or another person is in imminent danger (for example, suicide risk, physical abuse, sexual abuse or a threat to harm others), and we therefore need to involve other agencies to keep the child or other person safe. Any decision to breach confidentiality is considered exceptional and must go through rigorous review, including by a supervisor, before being approved. The guiding rule is always to act in the best interests of the caller.

Worried about your child or teen?

If you’re worried about your child or teen, or they’ve got a problem that you think a counsellor could help them talk through, you can encourage them to give us a call.